Pay Back
by NoMoreThanUsual
Summary: After weeks of Emmett teasing Bella, she plans to give Emmett back a little of what he's been dishing out. Various POVs. Sequel to The Hunt.
1. Chapter 1 Inspiration

**Pay Back**

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_Many thanks to Stephenie Meyer for letting me play with her toys for a little while. I, of course, own nothing. They are all hers.

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_Author's Note: This story is the sequel to "The Hunt". You need to read that story first to understand this one. Big brothers who are vampires can tease their human little sisters in lighthearted spontaneous ways (as in "The Hunt"). However if the human wants to give the vampire a little pay-back, she's going to have to plan it out a lot more. So this story has a very different tone from The Hunt and I felt it should be its own story.

I had fun writing it. I hope you enjoy reading it. Please let me know.

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**Chapter 1 – Embry's POV**

"If I eat one more bite, I'm gonna be sick." Quil stared at the pizza crust in his hand. "Oh well, I guess it'll fit," he said, changing his mind and stuffing the last of the pizza in his mouth.

Seth and I laughed. I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my overstuffed stomach. I can't believe we ate all that. Then again, Vito's did make the best pizza in town.

"Ready for another one, boys?" the waitress called from the counter.

"Naw, I think we're done now," I called back to her.

"Mmph," Quill confirmed, around the pizza he was still chewing.

She pulled her note pad from her apron and wrote out our bill. As she walked to us, she ripped it from the pad.

"Just give that to my friend here," I said indicating Quil. "It's his turn to pay for the pizza."

"Mphw?" He swallowed hard. "My turn? I got last time!"

"That's not how I remember it," I told him.

The waitress just rolled her eyes and put the bill in the middle of the table, before walking away.

"I paid last time. With Jared, Sam and Jake."

"Uh, that would mean I wasn't there and it doesn't count. It's still your turn."

Quil looked over at Seth.

"Don't look at me," Seth said, shaking his head. "I'm broke."

"You don't eat like you're broke," Quil grumbled. "It's still not my turn."

I drew a breath to continue arguing, but was distracted by the roar of an engine from the parking lot. I recognized the truck before I saw it.

Bella Swan pulled up in front of the pizzeria's picture window. She cut the engine and hopped out.

I turned back to Seth and Quil to see they were grinning too. I liked Bella. She was easy to be around.

The bell over the door rang as she stepped into the restaurant.

"Hey Bella," I called out to her, as she hadn't seen us yet.

Her face lit up when she recognized us. "Hey guys." Grinning, she came over to us.

"How ya doing, Bella?" I kicked the fourth chair out. "Sit down for a bit."

"I can't," she smiled regretfully, but leaned on the back of the chair. "Charlie's waiting for me. I told him I'd bring home lunch. He's going to the gun range this afternoon for some training seminar. I thought I'd do everyone else a favor and make sure he shows up in a better mood on a full stomach," she laughed. Then she eyed the empty pizza plate on our table. "What's this? Only one large for the three of you? Is this a light snack to get you warmed up for lunch?" Her eyes danced with humor.

My brothers and I snickered. "Ah, well, yeah. Actually, Bella, there were 7 others before this one."

We all laughed as her jaw dropped open.

"Eight large pizzas for the three of you?!!" she gagged. "It's a wonder your families can afford to feed you!"

"Yeah, speaking of that," I said turning back to Quil. "I was just reminding Quil here that it's his turn to pay."

Quil opened his mouth to argue, but Bella's phone rang, distracting us all.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she reached into her pocket for her cell. She glanced at the display before answering it. She turned slightly away from us. "Hey Alice . . . No, of course not. Everything's fine. I'm at Vito's picking up lunch for Charlie and me and I ran into some of the guys."

So it was the little psychic leech.

"I have to go, Alice. I'll see you later."

I groaned and made eye contact with my brothers. We were all thinking the same thing. Damned leeches.

Bella turned back with an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I have to go. Charlie's waiting for lunch and I don't want to make him late. I'll see you guys later, right?"

"Sure, Bella. See you around."

She walked to the counter and asked if her phone-in order was ready. The waitress went to the kitchen to get Bella her pizza.

As she waited, Bella looked back at us, a speculative look on her face. She seemed to be considering something. Suddenly, as if acting on impulse, she pulled her cell phone back out and dialed quickly.

"Alice? I have a quick question for you . . ." Her voice dropped too low for me to hear. "Umm, I'll tell you later, okay? Bye."

Bella shut her phone and came back to our table.

"Hey, umm . . ." she started hesitantly. "I was just thinking. I'll make you a deal. I'll pay for your pizza in exchange for . . ." she hesitated again. "Well, if one of you guys will give me your T-shirt." She blushed furiously.

What the f…??!!

I turned, stunned, to look at Quil and Seth. Both their jaws were hanging open too.

Quil was the first to recover. He grinned knowingly at Bella. "Is your 'boyfriend' falling a little short of the mark, Bella? You know, once you go pack, you never go back."

His 'warning' sounded more like an invitation.

If possible, Bella blushed even darker.

"No, no! It's not like that." She laughed nervously. "I just wanted something with a strong . . .you know . . . scent." She finished awkwardly.

Maybe it was me. I was still completely lost. I looked at my brothers. Nope, it wasn't just me.

Seeing our confusion, Bella tried again to explain. "Do you remember Emmett?"

I shook my head. "Who?"

"My friend, Emmett. The big one with the curly dark hair?"

Oh, she meant the big leech. I nodded.

"Well, he's been teasing me a lot lately. You know, big brother stuff." She seemed to be considering her words carefully.

Uh hunh. There was more that she wasn't saying. Somehow I thought I wouldn't like the details. "Tease you? How?" My hands clenched. "He didn't try to bite you, did he?" Already I could picture myself ripping the leech apart. A quick glance at my brothers told me they were feeling much the same way.

"No, no," Bella said, holding up her hands as if to stop my thoughts. "Relax. Just clean fun. But I'd like to get him back a bit. But with my being . . ." (she threw a quick glance at the waitress) "_you know_ and him being what _he_ is, it takes some planning for me to get a bit of revenge."

"You want us to rough him up a bit?" I asked eagerly.

"Of course not! Don't be stupid! Ugh," she huffed in exasperation. "I just want something with a strong smell."

"What for?"

"Well, I just got this idea." Bella laid out her plan and by the time she finished explaining, Quil and I were grinning widely.

"Remind me never to get on Bella's wrong side," Quil laughed.

Only Seth looked worried. "Are you sure this won't affect the treaty? Sam would get really mad if this changes anything."

"Over a smell?" I scoffed.

"Relax, Seth," Quil agreed. "Bella, you've got a deal. Pizza for one smelly shirt."

He started to pull off his tank top but a "hey" from the waitress stopped him.

"I'll meet you outside," Bella said as she grabbed our bill and went to pick up her pizza.

We met Bella outside by her truck. She put her pizza on the passenger seat.

Quil pulled his tank top off over his head. Bella reached for it, but Quil pulled it out of her reach, grinning.

"I want to be sure you get your money's worth, Bella," he said as he bunched the shirt and rubbed it in both his armpits.

I laughed as he handed it to me. I did the same with the shirt.

Strangely, Bella looked a little grossed out.

I started to hand the shirt to Seth, but Bella held up her hand to stop me.

"No. Wolves only. A human smell might ruin it," she said.

I was confused for a moment until I remembered she didn't know Seth was a wolf too. Sam wanted us to keep quiet about that.

So I held the shirt out for Bella to take it. She waved to the back of her truck.

"Just put it in there, please," she said without touching it.

Huh. Girls could be so funny.

"Do you guys need a lift?" she asked considerately.

"No. Sam and Emily went for groceries. They're going to pick us up on the way back. Thanks though."

We said goodbye and Bella got in her truck. We stood and watched her drive away.

When she was out of sight, I turned to Quil and said, "Don't think that counts as your turn paying for the pizza. It's still your turn next time!"

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**Author's Note:** I promise to update as soon as I can. But I have a full-time job (LOL actually a _more-than-full-time_ job) and a young family. So please be patient with me. In the meantime, please let me know if you think this story is worth continuing. 


	2. Chapter 2 The Plan

**Pay Back **

_Many thanks to Stephenie Meyer for letting me play with her toys for a little while. I, of course, own nothing. They are all hers. _

**Chapter 2 – The Plan**

**Bella's POV**

Charlie was waiting for me when I got back to the house with our lunch. We ate without speaking much at all. Charlie was never a big talker and that suited me today. I had a lot of my own to think about.

By the time I finished eating, I had convinced myself that I'd lost my mind earlier. I couldn't possibly . . .

"Thanks, Bells. That was great." Charlie interrupted my thoughts. "Can you manage on your own for dinner? The guys asked me to go out with them afterwards. You can come too if you want to," he added as an afterthought.

I rolled my eyes. "I think I can manage on my own, Dad. I've only done the cooking . . . what? . . . _every night_ since I moved here."

He chuckled as he cleared his plate. "Don't be out too late tonight, Bells," he reminded me as he left.

As I put away the last of the pizza and cleared the table, I analyzed again the plan that had seemed so inspired an hour ago.

Emmett had been teasing me for weeks. He loved to jump out at me and scare me. I never failed to blush (which he found highly amusing) and often he'd startle a scream out of me (which he found downright hysterical).

In short, he was treating me like a little sister.

While in many ways I thought it was sweet and was glad he felt I was part of his family, in many other ways it was getting annoying. He didn't seem to know when enough was enough. Hunh, I realized he _was_ just like a big brother!

Edward had offered to tell Emmett to stop but I was reluctant. I needed to find my own place within this family and not constantly be defined by Edward.

When I had run into the guys from LaPush, I was surprised when a plan popped into my head, fully formed. Maybe a little revenge would do both Emmett and me some good.

I had acted impulsively in getting the shirt. Now that I had time to really think about it, I saw how my actions would affect not just Emmett but everyone in my family - my vampire family. I was embarrassed at having thought it was a good idea.

I was suddenly very grateful Alice couldn't see me when I was with the wolves. Maybe she still didn't know what I'd thought up. I hoped so as my stomach churned with embarrassment and worry. I hope she hadn't told Edward. A blush crept up my neck to my face.

No. There was definitely no way I was going to suggest something so completely idiotic.

I snatched the empty pizza box from the counter and darted outside to the recycling bin.

Having made my decision, my thoughts now turned to undoing what I'd started. I'd throw out the shirt and I'd have to make up a reason for the question I'd called Alice to ask . . .

My cell phone rang again. It was Alice.

"What just happened to my fun afternoon?" she demanded before I had a chance to speak.

"Alice, I don't know what you . . ."

"You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about," she countered. "I've watched you waffle about this since you came back into my sight."

Oh no.

"And we are going to have so much fun with this. Don't you dare back out now," she stated firmly.

"But Alice, Edward . . ."

"Edward thinks it'll be fun too."

So much for hoping she hadn't told Edward. "But Esme and Carlisle . . ."

She clucked her tongue at me. "Stop worrying, Bella. Esme and Carlisle left early this morning. They're at a medical conference in Vancouver. Esme wanted to stay overnight at the hotel. They won't be back until mid-morning tomorrow. We'll clean up long before they come home."

I was silent as I debated.

"Bella, if we're going to do this, we have a very narrow window of opportunity. Like I told when you called me, Emmett has not done any laundry since last night. And we got lucky – he hasn't moved around much. He's more or less stayed in the living room with Jasper." She laughed. "They've been betting on who wins at Mars Marauders – the new video game Jasper bought. Emmett's losing which means he hasn't allowed Jasper to leave until he's evened the score." She laughed again.

Still I debated.

"Oh Bella! Come on. It'll be fun. And besides, if you don't push back against Emmett a bit, he's going to keep on pouncing you for weeks and weeks and weeks. It will feel like years. Trust me. I've seen it."

"Well, if you think no one will get upset . . ."

Alice squealed. "We're going to have so much fun! OK Bella, you get everything ready. Just like you originally planned it. That was perfect. Except make the pieces really small. That stuff is like plutonium. A little goes a really, really long way. . . Yes, that's it. You've got it now. So get ready and come over. Edward will keep Emmett busy so I can brief Jasper. Oh I can't wait! Hurry! . . . But not too much! Be careful with the scissors!"

With this last word of advice, she hung up.

I stared at the phone still in my hand for a few minutes and tried to sort out my feelings. Part of me was still really nervous (there was no way this could actually work). But there was a part that was excited too. Well, I was in now. There was no backing out.

Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I went back into the house for supplies.

I took the rubber gloves from under the sink. I wondered if I should wash them afterwards or simply throw them away. Edward spent a lot of time at my house. "Plutonium" Alice had said. I decided to throw out the gloves afterwards.

I also gathered a box of small snack-sized zip-lock bags, a grocery store plastic bag, a pair of scissors, a J-cloth and the bleach. I ran the sink full of hot water and added a generous amount of bleach to the water. I'd need that as soon as I came back in. I left the bleach bottle, the J-cloth and the larger plastic bag on the counter beside the sink.

Gathering the rest of my supplies, I headed out to my truck.

I climbed into the back of my truck for this next part. I wanted the smell of werewolf to be even stronger back here. It would need to be if I were to convince Emmett that this was the original source of the smell. It would all depend on him believing he had underestimated the strength of the smell last night.

My plan was simple. Well, it was simple in principle, if not in execution.

Last night, Emmett had lain down in the back of my truck. It was in the exact spot that Jared had sat when I gave him, Kim and her sister a lift about a week ago. Emmett hadn't noticed the smell at first but when he did, he was extremely offended by it. It had worked like a charm for aborting his "attack" on me last night.

Years ago, in Phoenix, a friend's dog had been sprayed by a skunk. She tried everything to get rid of the smell. She bathed the dog over and over, in different shampoos and in tomato juice. The smell seemed to go away and then, just when she thought it was over, the smell would re-emerge. It was weeks before the smell truly went away for good.

It occurred to me that it would drive Emmett crazy if he couldn't get rid of the smell either. What if he kept showering and the smell kept coming back?

So my plan was to have the smell of werewolf follow Emmett. The success of my plan would be judged on how many times I could get him to shower. Not to mention how crazy I could drive him. I smiled to myself picturing that.

So with that in mind, I got to work. I put on the rubber gloves and knelt in the back of my truck in the spot where Emmett had lain last night. I took Quil's shirt and carefully began to cut it into small pieces.

The largest piece was about one inch square. Most were even smaller. The smallest was a single thread only half an inch long. As I cut them, I put them in the zip-lock bags – one piece for every bag. Finally I ran out of zip-lock bags.

So I used the last of the shirt to rub down the matting in the back of the truck where I knelt. Then I hopped out of the truck and put the shirt and the rubber gloves in the garbage can.

I gathered the scissors and the zip-lock bags in my hands and went back into the house.

I quickly washed my hands in the hot bleach water. I used the J-cloth dipped in bleach water to carefully wipe down the outsides of the zip-lock bags to remove any werewolf residue and laid the bags on the countertop to dry. I dropped the scissors into the bleach water, then pulled the plug in the sink.

Next I had to remove any trace of the smell from me, to make sure Emmett couldn't smell werewolf on me at all. I ran upstairs and had a quick shower, leaving my clothes in a heap on the floor. I'd deal with them later, when I got back and the prank was over.

I quickly dressed and went back to the kitchen. I gathered the zip-lock bags and put them all in the grocery store plastic bag. Umm. Too obvious. I went back upstairs and dug my purse out of the bottom of my closet. I didn't usually carry a purse, but I doubt if Emmett would notice. I smiled to myself thinking that soon enough, he'd have other worries than me showing up carrying a purse.

So I put the zip-lock bags in my purse together with my wallet. Yes, that was much better.

OK, was I forgetting anything? I looked around the kitchen. No, I think I had everything. My heart was hammering. A combination of excitement and fear clutched at my chest. I took a deep breath to steady my nerves. It was now or never. Somehow it was very hard to leave that kitchen.

All right, all right, enough stalling, I scolded myself. I made myself pick up my keys and went out to my truck.

With Alice and Edward's help, maybe this could work afterall. We'll know soon enough.

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**Author's Note:** Phew, that chapter was actually quite hard to write. I find set-up chapters usually are – especially when one character is by herself for most of the chapter. Hopefully, you're all still with me. Next chapter, we'll start the action. I hope you're still enjoying this. Please let me know. 


	3. Chapter 3 Phase 1

**Pay Back **

Many thanks to Stephenie Meyer for letting me play with her toys for a little while. I, of course, own nothing. They are all hers. 

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**Chapter 3 – Phase 1**

**Alice's POV**

_She's on her way, Edward._ My brother stood behind the couch watching Emmett and Jasper's game. He didn't react to my words. He didn't need to; I knew he'd heard me. _Let's meet her at the end of the driveway so we can talk first._

Silently I slipped out the back door.

Edward joined me moments later and then we were running through the woods parallel to our driveway. 

I laughed for the sheer joy of the adventure we were about to have. What was even better was that my best friend would be joining our fun for the first time ever. I suppressed a squeal of joy. Edward 'heard' me anyways and laughed too.

We stepped out of the woods in front of Bella's truck at the top of the driveway. Poor Bella was rather startled, but she did keep control of the truck as she brought it to a stop.

I skipped to the passenger door and let myself in, while Edward opened the driver door. By way of greeting, he leaned in and kissed Bella. I looked out the window and tried to ignore them.

Finally he released her and leaned his forehead against hers. "I love this devious side of you," he chuckled.

"Yes, yes, you love everything about her, Edward. Now come on. Let's get going!" Sheesh, leave it to him and he'd be out here all afternoon kissing Bella.

He grinned at me. "I fail to see how that's a bad thing."

"Because, Edward, I want to have some fun," I pouted at him. _Come on. Let's get started. Please._

They both laughed a little at my excitement.

"All right. Bella, switch seats, please." He said as he leaned in further and undid her seat belt. 

She slid closer to me and Edward got in behind the wheel. He put the truck in gear and began driving very slowly back to the house.

"So, Bella, nice plan." Edward complimented her. "How much help do you want from Alice and me? Or do you prefer to do it on your own?"

"What?" I gaped at Edward. _No fair! There's no way I'm not going to take part in this. What kind of question was that?_

Edward looked at me sternly. "This is Bella's plan, Alice. It's her choice how she chooses to play it out. If she wants to do it alone, that's her choice to make."

Bella laughed. "Don't worry, Alice. There's no way I'd even _try_ this without the two of you. Please, I'll take all the help you can give."

I sniffed at Edward to let him know I was still upset with him for nearly locking me out of this. "All right then, _if _we're done with the preliminaries, let's start planning this." I couldn't hold onto my annoyance with Edward as my excitement built. "Timing will be everything. Luckily you have me," I smiled happily at Bella. "We can set a few things up before we begin dealing directly with Emmett. Bella and I will take care of that as soon as we get in." 

I closed my eyes to focus on the next few minutes. I ran through a few options before finding one that would work out best for us. 

"That's the one," Edward agreed.

Bella cleared her throat.

I explained, "Shortly after you and I come back downstairs, we'll have an opportunity to set Emmett's paranoia in motion. You won't be able to move fast enough to do it. It's best if I take care of that. Edward and Jasper will cover me, so Emmett doesn't see. You can help by disposing of the evidence. Are you okay with that?" _See, I'm sharing_, I added to Edward.

He smiled.

She nodded and I continued.

"Once we're in the house, Bella, we can have no verbal communications. Anything loud enough for you to hear can be overheard by Emmett. Be very careful of what you choose to say. So if we have to talk about this plan, we do it in writing or by hand signals. All right?"

"Agreed," she said.

"So, where are the . . .?" Edward asked, looking around the cab.

"The wolf-wipes?" Bella offered helpfully. "In my purse."

"Wolf-wipes?" Edward laughed.

"Sure. If you can have kim-wipes and baby-wipes, why shouldn't these be wolf-wipes?"

Edward and I both cracked up. "Oh my God, that's disgusting!" I laughed. 

"How many wolf-wipes do we have?" Edward asked her.

"About 30."

Edward whistled, then grinned at us. "We can do a lot of mental damage with 30 wolf-wipes".

My answering grin was positively predatory. Oh this would be so much fun! Emmett so had it coming!

As we continued our slow progress to the house, we worked out a few more details. We'd only handle one package at a time and to avoid being caught with the wolf-wipe, we'd flush it after use. Bella was going to look like she was having bladder problems, but I saw that Emmett wouldn't notice.

By the time we got within hearing distance of the house, we had the most immediate portion of our plan worked out. There were too many decisions that would be made in the next few hours for me to plan much further than that. My mind was already whirling with all the possible outcomes. It was dizzying.

Edward parked in front of the house, as usual. We all got out and went in.

"Bella!" Jasper and Emmett greeted her without looking up from their game.

"So it took both of you to escort Bella down the driveway?" Jasper teased, giving me the opportunity to explain, for Emmett's benefit, this unusual behaviour.

I snorted. "Edward couldn't wait. And if I didn't go with him, they'd still be at the top of the driveway kissing."

Everyone laughed.

Bella walked behind Emmett's position on the couch. Edward wrapped his arms around her, while they stood and watched the video game on the TV.

"Geez, Bella, you stink!" Emmett remarked over his shoulder at Bella.

Thank God he wasn't looking at her because her eyes widened with shock and guilt.

I shot Edward a look. _Edward, you're going to have to work on her skills as a liar. She's terrible!_

He grinned quickly at me before adding "Actually, Bella, you do smell of bleach. Were you doing laundry?"

She looked relieved. "No, I used it to clean the kitchen countertops."

All right. That was passable. My husband seemed to be having a hard time keeping the smile off his face. I wondered what emotions he was picking up on in the room. Well, no time for that now. I had a plan to set in motion.

"Come on, Bella. I want to show you what I picked up for you last week. It's gorgeous and it'll look great on you," I said, grabbing her hand. "You're not invited, Edward." I told him firmly.

He feigned looking disappointed. "She just got here."

"I had to wait while you kissed her. Now you can wait a moment while we have some girl time. Go play with Emmett and Jasper! I won't keep her long." And I pulled Bella up the stairs.

On the way down the hall to my room, I prattled on about designers and fabrics, as if trying to educate Bella. Well, OK, I did have an ulterior motive – I did want to educate her. Really, if she were going to be a Cullen, she'd need to know these things. And I knew today she would play along without much fuss. If she thought it was all cover for Emmett's benefit, so much the better. 

So I took advantage of the opportunity to review the differences between a few design styles as I showed her some clothing in my closet and made her try on some of the pieces I had bought for her.

While she changed, I picked two wolf-wipes out of her purse, one larger than the other. I showed her and she nodded. I put her purse down beside my bed.

Afterwards, there were a few more outfits I wanted her to try on.

When I thought I had played that out as long as I could, I put my arm through hers and, still talking, began slowly walking back down the hall, stopping twice as if distracted by a point I was making.

The second time I stopped was when we were beside the laundry room. I slipped inside without missing a beat in my monologue. 

I held my hand out to Bella for one of the wipes. She handed me the larger of the two pieces. I pinched the wolf-wipe through the bag, then broke the seal on the zip-lock. I peeled the plastic back to expose the wolf-wipe, but keeping my fingers from touching the wipe itself. Very carefully I rubbed the wipe along the back of Emmett's shirt, leaving a trail of scent behind. Then I used the wipe on the back of his pants as well. I found the towel that Emmett had used last night and just dusted it with scent.

When I was done, I closed my eyes to look forward. Yes, this would work out nicely.

Grinning, I sealed the zip-lock shut again and handed it back to Bella. I took the smaller wolf-wipe from her hand.

As I continued talking, I realized I'd have to review this again with Bella later. She'd stopped listening. I sighed.

I left her at the washroom door to get rid of the larger wolf-wipe. We would need subtlety for the next part and the smaller piece was what I needed. I went downstairs to join the others.

Bella didn't take long. She joined us in a few moments and moved back into Edward's welcoming arms.

We three stood behind the couch for a quarter of an hour or so. The spot did have the best view of the game. I leaned on my hands on the back of the couch. Bella leaned her head back on Edward's chest to be more comfortable while we waited for the opportune moment.

It came exactly when I had thought it would. Jasper and Emmett began racing for the same virtual target. Emmett leaned forward in concentration and yelled "Run, you bastard, run!" to his on-screen character.

Jasper took advantage of the moment to spike Emmett's competitive feelings, ensuring Emmett was completely focused on the game. Jasper also leaned forward and yelled at his character.

Edward suddenly roared "Go! Go, Jasper! Hustle!"

I used the cover to quickly rub the wolf-wipe along the back of the couch where Emmett sat. 

Emmett made it to the target first and raised both arms in victory. Jasper sank back against the cushions, groaning.

The sound of Bella's thundering heart filled the room. I bit back a smile as I wondered if she was startled by Edward's loud yell or if it was that she was now in possession of the wolf-wipe. I had handed it to Edward who had slipped it into Bella's jeans pocket.

Edward tightened his arms around Bella, hugging her even closer and kissed her neck. "I'm sorry, my love. Did I startle you?" he chuckled a bit.

Bella blushed and dropped her eyes.

I closed my eyes to focus. The beginning was seconds away. 

Bella started to walk out of Edward's embrace to get rid of the wolf-wipe.

_No, she'll miss it!_ I thought frantically at Edward, but there was no need. He'd seen my vision at the same time I did. He tightened his arms around her to keep her still.

Emmett flopped back against the back of the couch causing a strong puff of air to rise.

No acting was required at all. The smell of werewolf hit us all at about the same time – not overpowering but definitely nasty.

We all turned disgusted looks at Emmett.

Bella looked convincingly bewildered. "What's wrong?"

"Someone here smells like werewolf." I accused.

Bella looked flustered.

_Edward, I take it back about her acting ability. It's definitely improving,_ I thought, hiding a smile.

"No, it's not you, Bella. It's Emmett." Edward's flat tone was accusatory as well. "I thought you were going to shower, Emmett. Too busy with the game to take care of little things like hygiene?"

"I _did_ shower. And I changed clothes. That can't be coming off me!" He turned to press his nose to the back of the couch, which turned out to be a mistake. He shot back, wrinkling his nose. "Ugh!" He tried to smell the back of his shirt by pulling it around his shoulder.

"Oh believe me, dear brother, it's you!" I snapped. 

Emmett face was a picture of horrified disbelief. I didn't need to see my husband's face to know he was adding to Emmett's distress.

Jasper laughed at him. "I thought I caught whiffs of something nasty, when you moved around. If I were you, I wouldn't test Alice's temper. You'd better use _soap _this time!"

"But I . . ." his voice trailed away. Frowning, he stomped out of the living room and up the stairs.

As we heard the water start upstairs, Bella did a little dance and mouthed silently "It worked!"

I laughed silently with my family. This was definitely beginning well.

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**Author's Note**: Please, I know that flushing plastic bags (however small) is bad.It really can clog the pipes! LOL Also please don't leave me flames about how bad for the environment this would be. They are, afterall, only imaginary! :o)


	4. Chapter 4 Pheromones

**Pay Back **

_Many thanks to Stephenie Meyer for letting me play with her toys for a little while. I, of course, own nothing. They are all hers. _

**

* * *

**

Chapter 4 –Pheromones

**Alice's POV**

I tried to make sense of the visions as Edward, Bella and Jasper raced through our next options and decisions. It all came at a dizzying pace.

I help up my hands to signal that I needed them to slow down. I focused on Emmett and his choices in the coming minutes. He'd be here in three minutes, but not before stopping at the laundry room. I held up three fingers to let Jasper and Bella know how much time we had left.

Suddenly the present was swept away by a vision sparked by an idea of Jasper's. _Oh that's good!_ I silently told Edward.

His answering grin was all the answer I needed.

We needed to clear out and leave the next phase to Jasper.

I declared loudly that I couldn't stand the smell and invited myself to Edward's room to listen to music with Bella and him. Edward grudgingly agreed as if I were intruding on their privacy. _As if you and Bella could ever feel that way about me!_ I laughed silently to him.

He shot me a look.

Once in his room, Edward got a notepad and pen out of his school bag. He wrote a quick note to Bella.

_Jasper will handle the next part alone. Trust me – you'll love it! _

_If you can't hear them speaking, I'll write out their words for you._

She smiled and nodded.

As cover, because we knew Emmett could hear us, Edward and I discussed what bands would be releasing new CDs in the near future. I just made up answers because I was really still focusing on Emmett's immediate future.

It was only a minute more until we heard Emmett's bathroom door open.

I focused on his next moments, staying a split second ahead of the present. I really wanted to see his face and I could share that with Edward. I felt sorry that Bella couldn't see, but the best part would be outside and she'd see and hear that. In the meantime, Edward wrote quickly to give Bella as much detail as he could.

Emmett had showered and changed again. The dampness still clung to his hair. He carried his dirty clothes and towel in his arms and stopped to drop them in the laundry room.

As he pushed the laundry room door open, he crinkled his nose. He'd definitely caught the scent. Actually, with the amount of wolf-wipe I had used, it was more likely the _scent _pounced _Emmett._

His lips curled in disgust, he bent over and picked up his clothes from last night. His face was horror-struck as he held them at arm's length from himself.

Bella was holding her hand over her mouth to hold in her laughter as she read Edward's description of what was happening.

With his other hand, Emmett picked up the towel he'd used last night and hesitantly sniffed it. "No way!" he breathed. He dropped the towel again and raised his hand to run his fingers through his hair. He smelled his fingers to see if his hair still stunk.

I silently hoped that his own actions had transferred some of the scent to his hair, but it really wouldn't matter. Jasper's talent allowed him to convince people of things – whether or not they were true didn't matter.

Suddenly Emmett dropped last night's clothes and raced down the stairs and out to the front yard.

Jasper followed him out.

Edward quickly scooped Bella up in his arms and we ran to the window in Esme's studio which overlooked the front yard. As Edward put Bella down, I wrapped my arm around her waist so I could pull her back quickly if Emmett decided to look up.

Emmett had come to a stop a few feet away from Bella's truck.

"Emmett, what's wrong?" Jasper called to him.

I glanced at Bella to see if she could hear them. Apparently she could.

"How did I not notice _this_ last night? What a reek!" Emmett practically wailed to Jasper, as he gestured towards Bella's truck.

"I don't know, my brother. That _is_ pretty rank. You know, now that the weather is getting cooler, the wind picks up a lot at night. Maybe the smells from the field covered the smell last night. I dunno though. How you missed _this_ is beyond me." Jasper shook his head sadly at Emmett.

"Ugh. It's still in my hair, isn't it?" Emmett asked running his fingers over the back of his head. He carefully sniffed his hand.

Jasper leaned over and smelled Emmett's hair. He curled his lip. "Aww, that's rank. Yes, it's definitely still in your hair. Didn't you use shampoo?"

"I did! Twice!" he said defensively. He smelled his hand again. "Why am I having a hard time smelling it?"

"Maybe you've gotten used to it," Jasper suggested helpfully. "Edward says he gets used to Bella and can't smell her so strongly after a few hours. Maybe you're getting used to werewolf."

"Gah, that's disgusting! Don't even suggest it!"

Jasper turned his head to the side, as if thinking. "Which wolf was it?"

"Does it matter?" Emmett huffed.

"It might. The smell seems unusually strong and . . . tenacious. . . It wasn't the one who's got the hots for Bella, was it?"

"What??"

"Well, I was just thinking. Some animals give off stronger smells – pheromones – when they're aroused . . ."

Emmett actually screamed.

"It's just a theory," Jasper placated.

Emmett looked panicked. "Look, I'm going to shower again. Maybe if I use some of that French shampoo Rose buys . . . I've got to get rid of this before she gets back." Then as an afterthought he added, "Don't let anyone take my place in the game, okay?"

"Sure. I'll wait for you. Anything to get rid of that smell." Jasper clapped Emmett on the shoulder. Then he withdrew his hand with a grimace. He smelled his hand as if ensuring he hadn't picked up any smell and he wiped it surreptitiously on his shirt. Emmett noticed.

_Oh, I love you, Jasper, you brilliant, brilliant man. That was excellent!_

Although he couldn't hear my thoughts, he sensed my excitement and approval. He looked up at us in the window and winked at me as he followed Emmett back into the house.

Grinning wildly, we high-fived each other.

_See, Bella, I told you this would be fun_, I told her silently with my eyes.

Bella's eyes sparkled with excitement and she held her hands over her mouth to hold back her laughter.

**Author's Note:** If you liked this chapter, please let me know by leaving a review. If you didn't like it, please also leave me a review. I can't get better if I don't know what's wrong. Thanks! It won't be long for the next chapter; it's mostly written already.


	5. Chapter 5 Conspiracy

**Pay Back**

_Many thanks to Stephenie Meyer for letting me play with her toys for a little while. I, of course, own nothing. They are all hers. _

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**Chapter 5 – Conspiracy**

**Edward's POV**

The sight of my Bella having so much fun made my chest swell. It wasn't just the sight of her laughter or the sparkle in her eyes. It was her pride in herself that made her almost seem to glow.

Emmett had been teasing her off and on for weeks. While she usually took it well, his tendency to go overboard was starting to show. I had offered to tell Emmett to stop, but Bella had asked me not to – she preferred to handle it herself.

Reluctantly I had remained silent, though I had wondered how a small human would be able to 'handle' my colossal vampire brother. Leave it to Bella to figure out a way. I was amazed.

I heard Emmett as he came back into the house and made his way back to his and Rosalie's room. His thoughts were a jumbled cacophony of disgust and horror.

As we heard the shower start once again, Alice looked forward to see how long we had. _Edward, twenty minutes until he's out of the shower. He must be worried; his showers are getting longer! _She giggled_._ To tell Bella, she tapped her wrist and held up all her fingers twice. Bella nodded.

I wrapped my arm around Bella's waist and guided her out of Esme's studio. She slipped away when we reached the bathroom door, in order to get rid of the wolf-wipe that was still in her pocket.

I thought about telling her to keep it for the next phase, but realized it was best to use them once only. I was worried that repeatedly opening it might cause the scent to transfer to the outside of the zip-lock bag. The last thing I wanted was my Bella to get caught holding the wolf-wipe. It was better to get rid of it and use a new one.

_Edward, we're going to need more supplies. _Alice informed me._ I'm going back to my room to get Bella's purse. Is Emmett paying attention to what we're doing?_

I shrugged. No, not now, but he was getting pretty distressed and his thoughts were jumping unpredictably. She understood my gesture.

On her way, she decided to change clothes while she was there. I smiled to myself knowing that Alice often felt she didn't get enough opportunity to wear her vast array of clothes. A mid-afternoon wardrobe change was not unusual for her.

I went back to my room to wait and turned on some music. Bella was back first. I held out my arms to her. She smiled and came to sit on my lap. Her face was flushed with excitement and her heart fluttered slightly. I grinned as I debated whether her physical reaction was excitement over the game we were playing with Emmett or whether it was my touch that excited her. There was one way to find out.

I trailed my fingers softly down her cheek and leaned down to press my lips to hers. I kissed her gently and listened to the sound of her heart race. She made a soft sound in the back of her throat.

I held back a laugh, delighted that her excitement wasn't _all_ because of the game.

I was still kissing Bella when Alice bounced back into my room without bothering to knock. "Oh!" she said in surprise. She must really be focused on Emmett for us to surprise her. "Don't let me interrupt!" she sang as she danced over to look out the window.

I decided to take her at her word and continued to kiss Bella. In the next moments, I was sure Bella forgot Alice was there.

Too soon, Alice huffed, "All right! Let me interrupt!"

I felt the heat of Bella's blush spread under my hand that cupped her cheek. I chuckled, finally releasing her.

Alice came over to sit cross-legged on the carpet.

I took a moment to check-in on Emmett. I chuckled again as I realized he'd used three different kinds of shampoo already. His thoughts were focused on concern for Rosalie's reaction when she returned. Well now, that certainly raised an interesting option.

_Yes, that's great!_ Alice chirped. She clapped her hands together in excitement.

Bella looked back and forth between Alice and me. She clearly understood that we were communicating, though she couldn't understand what was being said.

Suddenly I felt a stab of guilt. This was Bella's plan and Alice and I were starting to take over. I decided to return control of the afternoon's game to Bella.

I reached for the notepad and pen. Quickly I scribbled:

_Are you pleased so far? _

She grinned at me. Yes, she was definitely happy with the plan so far.

I smiled back and added:

_How do you want to proceed?_

She bit her lip as she thought. She reached for the pen:

_Where's Rosalie and when is she coming back?_

Alice focused momentarily to answer the second part of the question. She answered me mentally. _Rosalie will come home in one hour and twenty-seven minutes. Bella's thinking what we are, isn't she?_

As if I would know what Bella was thinking. I answered Bella's question:

_Rosalie drove to Seattle this morning to pick up some parts to upgrade her car. _

_She considers auto-parts stores to be a near-religious experience and she_

_never lets anyone go with her. She'll be back in 1 hour 27 minutes._

Again, Bella bit her lip as she thought. She reached for the pen again and asked:

_Does Emmett suspect the smell is being planted?_

I considered before answering her:

_Emmett is very disgusted and is very worried that the smell will continue to _

_linger. He doesn't suspect that anyone is doing anything to him but he's _

_become very self-conscious and it will be harder to slip under his guard _

_next time. We need to be careful._

We continued in this way as we fleshed out our options for the next steps in our plan. Despite her initial question, Bella was reluctant to involve Rosalie. I sensed that she was conscious of how delicate her and Rosalie's new relationship was and although she wanted to get Emmett, she didn't want to risk Rosalie's wrath.

Alice and I tried to argue, but Bella held firm in her desire to find another option.

Unable to agree on a course of action, we agreed to play the next stage by ear. I took a selection of wolf-wipes and put them in my pocket – better to be armed when the opportunity came.

As Emmett got out of the shower, his thoughts shifted to wonder what we were doing. He paused to listen to us. So I asked Alice what bands were considering coming to Seattle and we discussed whether we'd get tickets.

Still talking about concerts, we drifted back downstairs.

As Emmett joined us downstairs, he paused in the doorway to consider the couch that still smelled of werewolf and decided to get a wet cloth to clean it.

"Sure, Emmett, because everyone knows that wet dog smells so much better than just dog!" Alice snapped sarcastically at Emmett. "Water will make it infinitely worse!"

I laughed to myself as I thought Alice was proving that the best defense was a good offence. By attacking him, he'd never suspect she was at the root of his problems.

"Just carry the couch outside to the porch to air out for a while. Later we can use the steam cleaner to take out whatever's left," she instructed.

After Jasper and Emmett carried out the couch, Alice declared that Emmett had monopolized her husband for over twenty hours and that the video game was over. "We should put in a decent movie we can all watch," she added. She skipped over to the shelving to pick our movie, while my brothers and I moved the remaining furniture closer together, in front of the TV.

I sank into a comfortable armchair, while Bella curled in beside me, resting her head on my chest. Alice handed the DVD to Emmett and danced over to sit on Jasper's lap. After turning on the movie, Emmett sat down next to Jasper on the other couch.

As the previews rolled, I noticed Emmett frequently touching the back of his hair and smelling his hand. I hid a smile. His paranoia was growing. My empathic brother was doing a subtle but effective job of feeding Emmett's fears.

Emmett broke the silence and with forced casualness, asked "So, Bella, that's some reek coming off your truck. What exactly was it?"

"I told you last night," she said innocently, frowning in apparent confusion. "I gave one of my werewolf friends a ride."

"Which one?" He appeared calm though I could feel his intense apprehension through Jasper's mind. Emmett's thoughts pleaded, _please not the one who likes you, please not the one you likes you, not pheromones, not pheromones, please God, not pheromones . . . _

"Jared," she answered him.

_Jared? Jared? Is that . . .?_ He looked at me for an answer.

I smirked and shook my head slightly. "Jared is one of Jacob's friends," I told him.

He recognized the names now. He sagged with relief.

Jasper accentuated Emmett's feeling of relief, intensifying it – in order to set him up for a bigger emotional fall. Jasper drawled to Bella, "Why did you make him ride in the back? It seems appropriate for a dog, but rather unlike you."

Bella frowned at the reference to "dog", but answered Jasper, "Jared volunteered to sit in the back so Kim and her sister could ride up front with me."

"Kim's his girlfriend?" Jasper asked.

"Yes," she answered Jasper. "Jared imprinted on Kim. They're in love and very sweet together."

"Hunh. Tell me, is Kim's sister pretty?"

Bella's confusion seemed very real as she cautiously answered, "Yes. Actually she's very pretty. Why?"

"Hmm," Jasper pondered out loud. "Hey Emmett, what do you think Jared was thinking about, sitting in the back of that truck? A teenage boy with his girlfriend and two more very pretty girls?" And Jasper gave Emmett a solid emotional push, sending him off the edge into horror and paranoia.

_Oh no_, Emmett groaned, his head sinking onto his hands. _Dammit dammit dammit! It was pheromones!_ A ripple of disgust shook through his body.

I laughed. There was no way Emmett would believe I didn't know he thought he had gotten covered in werewolf pheromones. His mind was practically shrieking. If I _didn't_ laugh at him, he would be suspicious of me. So I openly enjoyed the moment.

"It's gone now. It's all washed away now," he affirmed, though he did look like he was trying to convince himself. _It has to be gone now._ "So we will never speak of this again."

Jasper and I both snickered. Jasper turned to Emmett, "Sure, Emmett. I'm sure that we'll never ever speak of this again. Right, Edward?"

I laughed again. "That's right, Jasper. We'll never bring this up again." I confirmed with mock solemnity.

Emmett groaned, correctly picturing decades of ribbing over this incident. "Thanks, Bella," he growled.

Her eyes opened wide with outrage. "I didn't ask you to lie down in my truck. You thought that up all by yourself!"

He just grunted.

We settled in, then, to watch the movie. In truth, none of us were paying it any attention. Jasper, Alice, (presumably) Bella and I were all thinking about our options and how to move the game forward one more step. Emmett was worrying about the smell lingering and whether it would be gone for good when Rosalie got back.

Yet again, I considered involving my other sister. In all fairness, it would be somewhat unfair to draw her in to all this. On the other hand, Rosalie was Emmett's kryptonite. _Not_ using her against him may be the more foolish choice.

I wondered momentarily at the maturity of my actions, but dismissed my brief concerns. What was the point of being eternally seventeen if I couldn't occasionally act my age?

Bella was counting on me to make this work for her and there was no way I was going to disappoint her. I'd help Bella get a little pay back even if I had to hold Emmett down and let Bella drop eggs on his head. Hmmm maybe . . .

_Edward! That's not helpful. Focus please!_ Alice chided as a vision of that scenario flashed through her mind.

Alice's mind was a torrent of visions as we all considered our next move and tentatively made decisions.

It was an interesting perspective for me. I would hear Alice's and Jasper's thoughts on our next move and I could see those thoughts play out in Alice's visions. While I still couldn't hear Bella, she was like a rock in a stream, unseen underwater. I could see the effect she was having on the currents or in this case, Alice's visions. It was fascinating.

As the first half hour passed by, I could tell Bella's ideas were becoming wilder and more impractical as her impatience and nerves increased. Alice's visions were getting less and less helpful under Bella's influence.

To calm her, I nuzzled her neck and murmured "Patience" into her ear. Her heart fluttered.

Emmett overheard my comment but misinterpreted its meaning, assuming it was a reference to our physical relationship. "What? More patience, Edward? At this rate, she's going to die of old age first . . . or boredom!" He laughed loudly as a blush crept up Bella's cheeks.

I smiled and held Bella closer. "Well then, Emmett, I'll just have to make sure it's worth the wait, won't I?" My double meaning was lost on Emmett. Bella blushed deeper and dropped her eyes.

_They're so cute together_. Alice's thoughts drifted over to me.

I grinned at her and kissed the top of Bella's head.

"Are you hungry, Bella? It must be time for dinner." I asked her.

"Sure" she agreed. "What do we have in the kitchen?"

I laughed. "Everything. As usual." Now that Esme had someone to actually use the food she had to buy to keep up appearances, she was having a lot of fun shopping creatively for Bella. "What would you like?" I asked Bella.

"Umm. Maybe something tex-mex? Did she buy any of those frozen burritos? And maybe a salad?"

"I'll get it for you. I've seen this movie a few times." I kissed her forehead and got up to get her dinner.

I found I enjoyed cooking for Bella. Not that a frozen burrito and a salad could be considered 'cooking'. I was debating making her something more elaborate, when I heard Bella get up from the chair and begin to follow me to the kitchen.

Without warning, Emmett's thoughts turned too. Before I could act, he pounced Bella.

She screamed. "Damn it, Emmett!" she yelled.

He laughed loudly, clearly pleased with himself. "That one never gets old!" he laughed to himself, as he made his way back to the couch.

Bella stomped into the kitchen. Anger and determination radiated off of her.

Suddenly Alice's visions cleared away, except for one. _Yes!_ Alice exulted mentally.

We were going to involve Rosalie!

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**Author's Note: **I realized in writing this how hard it is to write from Edward's perspective. The man simply has so much information flowing into him; it's no wonder he's been accused of being arrogant. The toughest part for me was to decide what information to include and what to leave out. I've tried to use enough to make the story interesting but hope I haven't made it confusing instead. Please let me know if you enjoyed this chapter.


	6. Chapter 6 Rosalie's Return

**Pay Back **

_Many thanks to Stephenie Meyer for letting me play with her toys for a little while. I, of course, own nothing. They are all hers. _

* * *

**Chapter 6 – Rosalie's Return**

**Edward's POV**

With the all-clear from Bella to launch the next attack on Emmett in such a way as to anger Rosalie, I picked through the wolf-wipes looking for the smallest one I had taken - the single thread of the cloth.

Once I was properly armed, Bella and I quickly pulled together her dinner. She got a drink and I helped her carry her plate back into the living room, where she settled back into our chair.

As I passed Emmett, I cuffed him on the back of the head. "You know, someday she'll get you back for all this."

Emmett laughed. "At the rate you're going, Edward, it'll be years before you change her. I think I'll be safe!"

I threw him a disgusted look at his reference to my changing Bella, since he would expect it. He laughed again.

I had taken a risk. Usually only Rosalie could get away with hitting the back of Emmett's head. I waited for him to notice my unusual behaviour and become suspicious, but he thought nothing of it.

The single thread of wolf-wipe was now nestled in his dark curls. We just had to wait for the subtle scent to permeate.

"I don't know Emmett. 'She who laughs last, laughs best!'" I quoted to him. "I'd be careful if I were you."

He just chuckled.

I settled in next to Bella. She ate her dinner quietly. Her attention seemed to be divided between the movie and her dinner. The visions that Alice was whipping through at mock speed were testimony of where Bella's thoughts really were. Jasper and Alice were adding possibilities to the visions also, as we examined and fine tuned details of our decision to provoke Rosalie. The rate of the visions was absolutely dizzying and I wondered how Alice managed to make sense of that many possible futures.

One possibility stood out among the rest. As I agreed with it, the vision gained in solidity in Alice's mind. She squeezed Jasper's hand to tell him that we'd settled on one. _That should work nicely, Edward. Go take care of it before Rosalie gets home_, she counseled me silently, without taking her eyes from the TV.

I waited for Bella to finish eating and put her plate down on the floor beside our chair. As she settled back against me, I asked her in a concerned tone, "Are you cold, Bella? I'll get you a blanket."

Without waiting for her answer, I got up and went upstairs. I kept a sharp lookout on Emmett's thoughts as I snuck silently into his and Rosalie's room.

I quickly and carefully retraced Emmett's steps when he had last been here and used a wolf-wipe to stain everything he had touched. I paid particular attention to his hairbrush on the bathroom vanity counter and actually drew the wolf-wipe through the brush's bristles several times.

It all took less than 10 seconds before I was resealing the zip-lock bag and tucking it back in my pocket.

I slipped further down the hall to the linen closet and pulled the throw blanket Esme had bought for Bella from the top shelf.

I carried the throw back down to Bella and spread it over her as I settled back beside her. Under the blanket, I slipped the used wolf-wipe into her jeans pocket.

We settled in to wait.

It wasn't long before Alice was warning me that Rosalie's car was coming down the driveway. We heard her drive past the front of the house, with her music blaring, and park in the garage. Even Bella heard Rosalie come home.

Emmett fidgeted slightly. Jasper began feeding Emmett's fears again. Nervously, Emmett raked his fingers through his hair one more time. I prayed he wouldn't find the thread. He didn't. Then he smelled his hand. His eyes widened with horror as he realized the smell was back again.

His mind went utterly blank as we heard Rosalie's footsteps on the porch.

She stopped before opening the door. "What the Hell??" she suddenly yelled. "Werewolves? Why are werewolves using our furniture? Who let the dogs sit on the couch?" The door banged open with a crash.

"They'd better not still be here! Somebody better tell me what the Hell happened!" she yelled. Her hands were curled into tight fists.

"Rosalie, welcome back." Alice was unconcerned by Rosalie's anger, as she greeted her sister. "You're missing a good movie. Sit down."

"Alice," Rosalie growled. "What's going on?"

"Nothing." At Rosalie's disbelieving look, she added, "Emmett wanted to pounce at Bella, so he lay down in her truck and he picked up some smell from the wolves."

"I know that already," Rosalie growled as she glared at Emmett. "You were supposed to wash that stink off, right, Emmett?"

"I did, Rosy," he answered her.

"Apparently not, _Dear_. The couch on the porch reeks and in fact this house reeks. Please tell me it's not you trailing that wretched smell everywhere."

Emmett looked scared. I fought back a chuckle. Only Rosalie could scare Emmett.

"Oh, don't be too hard on him," Jasper rose to Emmett's defense. Emmett looked gratefully at Jasper. "He's showered and changed 3 or 4 times already. It's not his fault, Rosalie. The smell just won't go away. I have this theory about that . . ."

"NO! Stop helping me, Jasper!" Emmett interrupted Jasper, before he could get in more trouble. "Look, Rosy, why don't you go change into your work clothes and go out to the garage to install whatever you just bought for your car. I'll take care of things here and then I'll join you outside to help you."

Rosalie considered for a moment. Then she huffed her agreement. "Fine, Emmett. Just take care of it."

With a final glare, she marched up the stairs to change clothes.

I hid my smirk as I counted down for the explosion. 4 – 3 – 2 –

"EMMETT!" Rosalie shrieked. "What have you done to _our room_?!" I heard the bathroom door bang open. "Dear God!!"

In a flash, she was back downstairs waving the smelly hairbrush under Emmett's nose. "Have you lost your mind? How can you just walk away from a mess like this? You were sitting _watching a movie_ instead of cleaning up? What were you waiting for? Do I _look_ like a maid?!"

Emmett stammered in confusion as he tried to understand what happened as well as apologize to Rosalie. She continued to vent at Emmett for several minutes. It was a fireworks display worthy of the fourth of July.

"Clean this up, Emmett. I mean it!" she finished as she jabbed him in the chest with her finger.

Having finally finished with Emmett, Rosalie turned to shoot Bella an accusatory look.

"Don't look at me. I didn't make him get in the back of my truck. That was all his idea." Bella responded defensively.

I blinked in surprise at Bella answering Rosalie in that manner. Alice and Jasper's thoughts echoed my surprise.

"She's right. It was your idea!" Rosalie accused Emmett as she hit him again on the back of the head. Then she seemed to reconsider her actions. "Oh I swear, Emmett, if you get that smell on me . . ." her threat trailed away as she sniffed her hand delicately.

Apparently she could smell werewolf on her own skin. She crinkled her nose in disgust. "Get this taken care of, Emmett. I mean it!" She stated angrily, jabbing her finger into his chest.

He nodded, looking rather frightened. I stifled my snicker.

"Why don't you try tomato juice?" Bella suggested sweetly.

We all stared at her. I hadn't seen this one coming.

"Well, it works for skunk." Bella continued. "And they're both animal scents, right?"

As Emmett nodded his agreement and said "Good idea, thanks Bella", I vowed I would never, never, never underestimate my Bella again.

"I think I saw some in the kitchen," she added helpfully.

"Good. Try that. And clean up!" Rosalie growled at Emmett as she stomped back upstairs to change.

Emmett slouched into the kitchen to get the tomato juice. "Maybe I should try some of that dandruff shampoo too," he mumbled as he followed his wife up the stairs.

As he disappeared from sight, Jasper sighed and deadpanned, "Well, you don't see that every day."

We all cracked up. Of course, Emmett and Rosalie would expect us to get some amusement at their expense over this. We made sure not to overdo it and cross the line into self-congratulations. Both Emmett and Rosalie could hear us and neither of them was stupid.

By the time, Rosalie came downstairs, we were quietly back to watching the movie. She glared at us as she passed on her way outside to the garage. Her mind was far from quiet as she told me off (mostly for just being there), but she didn't say anything to the others.

After she left, Jasper turned to back to me and silently said, _So, Edward, what's next?_

I squeezed Bella's shoulder so she would know we were 'talking' again. She lifted her head from my chest and turned back into the conversation.

Jasper continued, _Rosalie's really ticked. But I think we can push her a bit further._ He grinned widely. _What do you think, Edward?_

Alice grew impatient with being left out of the planning and looked ahead. Her answering grin was predatory. _I love it! Of course, it will take all three of us. Jasper and I will distract Rosalie. You take care of laying the scent down around the garage. Be subtle! Not too much, Edward! Jasper can run block on Emmett once he goes out to the garage too, which will be in another twelve minutes. _She was jumping up and down with excitement.

I looked over at Bella. She was frowning and trying to follow the conversation without much luck.

I felt that stab of guilt once more. We were taking over again. And Bella was doing so brilliantly on her own. Tomato juice?! That was inspired! I grinned and kissed her forehead to let her know how proud I was of her, hoping she would understand. I took her bright blush to mean she did.

Embarrassed but pleased, she dropped her eyes and self-consciously picked at the threads of the blanket. Suddenly her hand stilled. Her forehead creased in thought.

Curious, I waited for her to explain her thoughts.

Fortunately, my sister had even less patience than I did and Alice looked ahead to see if Bella would propose anything new.

Bella's idea made both Alice and I grin maniacally.

_Perfect!_ Alice thought to me. _And it will dovetail nicely with our plan too. She can take care of that, while we handle Rosalie and Emmett directly._

Alice hopped to her feet, grabbing Jasper's hand to pull him up too. _Get going, Edward. Walk Bella back upstairs to your room to wait. She'll be fine. Emmett will assume you're with her. And he'll be out the front door in 10 minutes. Explain to her that she needs to get moving as soon as she hears the front door close. Jasper and I will get started with Rosalie. Move it! You have 9 ½ minutes!_

As Alice and Jasper left for the garage, I carried Bella quickly upstairs to my room. I put her gently back on her feet and reached for the notepad.

I quickly outlined to Bella Jasper's idea to further irritate Rosalie by planting a subtle scent at strategic spots in the garage, where Emmett had briefly been last night. I explained that Emmett would shortly be leaving through the front door. We would keep Rosalie and Emmett busy in the garage. Once she heard the front door close, she should go ahead with what she had planned.

If everything went as planned, Rosalie's reaction would be loud enough to hear in the next county. I had no doubt Bella would be able to witness it too.

A cloud crossed Bella's face and she bit her lip. She reached for the pen:

_Are we going too far?_

I snickered and wrote:

_Probably. But isn't that the point of being a teenager?_

I grinned at her, entreating her to join me again in finding the fun in this game. When she didn't immediately respond, I added:

_Emmett, and Rosalie too for that matter, can dish it out very well._

_I think you've become intimately aware of how over-the-top Emmett's teasing can get?_

_Trust me when I say they can take it too. _

_When they discover what we've been doing, they will join us in laughing. _

_Emmett loves a good joke and isn't particular about which side of it he's on. _

_And eventually, they'll want to get us back._

_Really, Bella, what else are the six of us going to do with Eternity?_

That did it. She smiled back at me and nodded.

I wrote her a last note:

_Go as soon as you hear the front door close._

_We'll give you as much time as possible._

I kissed the top of her head in goodbye. I was tempted to kiss her lips, but knew I'd never be able to leave in time if I gave in to that temptation. So I left her in my room and rushed silently out to the garage.


	7. Chapter 7 Things Get Out of Hand

**Pay Back **

_Many thanks to Stephenie Meyer for letting me play with her toys for a little while. I, of course, own nothing. They are all hers. _

* * *

**Chapter 7 –Things Get Out of Hand**

**Author's Note: **I want to say a special thank you to KlutzLikeBella. She added a lot to making this chapter much richer and smoothing out the rough spots. If you haven't read her work yet, I would really encourage you to read "Monster and Man". It's brilliant! Thanks KLB. You rock!

**Emmett's POV**

Today was a nightmare – a waking nightmare. That damned stench! I couldn't get rid of it. Every time I thought I had, it would resurface. And Rosalie . . . she was pissed. Rose was my angel but she could be . . . unpleasant . . . when riled.

I swear, the next time I see one of those werewolves; I'm ripping out his throat. I don't care if his name's Jared, Jacob, or Jeremiah Puddle Duck. I hate those damned dogs and I hate that smell!

Growling, I shut off the water in the shower. I wiped the water from my face and grabbed a towel, as I stepped out of the shower – _again_.

I stopped for a moment to listen for the others. I could hear Bella moving in Edward's room, and I knew that he'd be with her. He never left her side for long – especially since I started pouncing on her every chance I got. Yeah, I knew it was the root my problem today; because if I hadn't gotten in her truck to startle her, I wouldn't be covered in werewolf pheromones. But it was just so much fun to scare Bella. I grinned as I thought about how _much_ fun it was. The sound of her heart pounding, the startled scream, the blush, the smell of adrenaline as it belatedly rushed through her system (that was always my cue to leave – I wouldn't put her in any real danger by staying too close). But the best part was the evil eye she'd give me; she looked like a mouse trying to stare down the owl that was swooping down on it. The memory of _that_ made me chuckle. Bella was my little sister in every way that mattered. I'd cheerfully kill anyone outside of this family who bothered her. And in the meantime, it was my job as a big brother to tease her as much as possible.

I knew that Edward did not want to change her. He fought against it with everything he was, but I also knew that he would not be able to resist much longer. They belonged together, and he was useless without her. She would be changed. And then it would be easier to have fun with her, but all her colourful human reactions would be gone. Which was why I needed to make the most of it now. She wouldn't have a human's reactions for very much longer. Really, I was working on a deadline! I was doing her a favor, showing her what brothers were like while she was still human. I laughed to myself with that thought.

Still smirking to myself, I got dressed quickly and toweled dry my hair. When I was done, I stared at the towel in my hand. Cautiously I smelled it. Thank God. The only thing I could smell now was the tomato juice. Maybe this had finally gotten rid of the stink.

I sighed as I thought about what to do about Rose. I debated whether to take the time now to thoroughly clean our room or go see her first. When she was in a bad mood, it was often a mistake to leave her alone too long. Leaving Rose alone with her thoughts when she was angry was never a good idea.

I decided to just give our room a cursory cleaning for now. Then I'd go see her in the garage and do what I could to make this up to her, before returning to our room to finish cleaning it. I walked around the bedroom, looking for where the scent was coming from. Yes, I remember touching the closet door handle. But honestly I couldn't believe I hadn't realized I was still spreading the smell. Shouldn't I have been able to smell the stink on myself? Something wasn't quite right about the whole situation, but I could not figure out what it was. After a moment, I gave up thinking about it. I needed to prioritize and Rosalie (that is, calming Rose down) came first.

Taking a cloth and some cleaner from under the sink, I attacked the worst of the problems, leaving a more detailed cleaning for later. Afterwards, I put away the cleaning supplies and washed my hands again.

I'd just throw out the tainted hairbrush. I wasn't taking any more chances!

As I made my way down the stairs and to the front door, I started to review my options with Rosalie and how I would handle her. Hmm. It was time to bring out the big artillery. I kept a small stash of gifts for Rosalie just in case she got upset unexpectedly – a precaution that has come in handy many times in the 68 years I have spent married to my volatile goddess. I had picked up a lovely pearl necklace that I hadn't given her yet. That might soften her mood a bit. I pondered how best to present it to her.

I closed the front door behind me and crossed the porch to the steps. The breeze shifted a bit, and the stench hit me again. Rosalie wasn't kidding. The stink coming off the couch was hard to miss. The smell seemed to curl in the air around the couch and front door.

That suddenly reminded me. My clothes and the stinky towel from last night were still in a heap on the laundry room floor. They were probably wafting smelly fumes into the air too. Making a last minute change of plans, I decided I should throw those in the washer before going out to the garage. If Rosalie came back in before I took care of the laundry room . . . well, it was better not to think about that possibility.

I turned around and went back into the house. I slowly made my way back to the staircase, still wondering how I was going to calm my angel.

I was distracted from my thoughts by the sound of Bella moving down the hallway on the second floor. Strange. There was really no reason for her to be on the second floor. The only rooms in that hall were Jasper's study, my room, Carlisle's study, Alice's room . . . Oh, of course! I shook my head at my own stupidity. Bella was getting something from Alice's room. And then I realized that her footsteps were too far down, and on the wrong side of the hall. She was in my room. Now why…?

After 70 years of living with a mind-reader, some things become instinctive. I started blocking Edward. I focused on visions of Rosalie wearing nothing but the pearl necklace and a playful smirk.

Where was Edward anyway? I couldn't hear him. I slowly climbed the stairs, listening carefully. It sounded as though two pieces of metal were scraping against one another, like something was being screwed together. Or unscrewed. What the Hell?

To continue blocking Edward, I thought,_ Maybe when Rosalie calms down I can get her to put on her new black corset with the thigh-high leather boots . . . _I let my imagination run with that for a few moments. Sometimes, it was far too easy to keep my brother from listening to my thoughts.

I continued to listen carefully as I crept down the hallway. I could hear Bella moving in my bathroom. I heard the shower door close and the rustling of her clothing as she moved around the room.

I pushed open the bathroom door to find Bella standing in the middle of the room. In her hand was a plastic bag with a small piece of cloth in it, and she was holding my recently-used towel. I was hit by the distinctive smell of werewolf.

We both stared at each other stunned for a moment. Then with sudden clarity, I understood. My siblings were playing me! Those _fiends!_ I couldn't believe they had convinced Bella to take a part in one of their plots! They couldn't even face me for themselves; they had to send a human to do their dirty work!

HELL!

I grabbed her around the waist, dropped her into the shower stall, and flicked on the cold water before shutting the shower door on her. I held the shower door shut with my foot as I put my real strength to hold the bathroom door closed. I knew Edward would be crashing through in another minute.

Bella pounded on shower door, trying to open it, yelling "Emmett, let me out! It's cold!"

"Do you have any idea how many showers I've had in the last 24 hours?" I asked her loudly. Then I laughed, "Besides, Bella, the taps are on your side of the door!"

"Oh crap." She stopped banging and turned to shut off the water.

I had only a brief moment to wonder why the smell of werewolf had increased, and then the door under my shoulder shattered into splinters as Edward hit it full force from the other side.

We both fell to the floor, Edward landing on me.

He then grabbed me by the shirt and dragged me out of the bathroom.

Bella emerged from the shower, dripping wet. She followed into the hall, her eyes wide as she tried to stay out of the way of the tussle. Both Edward and I tried to keep away from her as we wrestled – I didn't want to hurt her.

_But I will dump her back in the shower first chance I get! _I thought directly to Edward to piss him off.

Edward growled and pushed us both further down the hall, towards the stairs. My threat to Bella had succeeded in angering him, as I intended. That gave me a certain satisfaction.

_You little bastard! It was you, wasn't it? This was all your idea!_ I accused him as I struggled to get him in a headlock.

And then he started shaking with laughter, unable to wrestle effectively any longer.

_I'll teach you to laugh at me, you arrogant little . . . !_ Still laughing, he managed to break free of my grasp_. _I jumped at him, but even hysterical, he was too fast for me to catch. He was past me in an instant. He grinned. It was then that I realized I had put myself in a very bad position. Crap.

With a final push, he sent us both tumbling down the stairs. I was vaguely aware of breaking the banister before landing on top of Edward at the bottom. I grabbed at his arms, trying to pin him to the floor. He never stopped laughing.

Alice rushed into the entrance hall from the back kitchen door, followed immediately by Rosalie and Jasper. Jasper took one look at Edward and me and burst into gales of laughter of his own. But he made no move to help Edward at all.

"It's your turn next, Jasper! Count on it! Just as soon as I'm done murdering Edward!" I snarled as I finally succeeded in pinning Edward to the floor.

Jasper just laughed harder.

Rosalie, her temper frayed to begin with, lost it completely. I'm pretty sure even she had no idea who she was angry with, so she just shouted at everyone.

Then the door opened. Shoot….


	8. Chapter 8 Busted

**Pay Back **

_Many thanks to Stephenie Meyer for letting me play with her toys for a little while. I, of course, own nothing. They are all hers. _

**Author's Note:** A huge thank you to KlutzLikeBella, who patiently poured over numerous drafts of this story and who provided very insightful suggestions to improving this. Thanks, KLB, you're awesome! Check out her story, "Monster and Man" - it's terrific!

* * *

**Chapter 8 – Busted**

**Carlisle's POV**

Esme rested her head on my shoulder and held my arm as we drove back from Vancouver. We had originally planned to spend one extra night in the city, just Esme and I, but after the cocktail reception we were required to attend, Esme had had a change of heart and asked if we could forgo the stay at the hotel and leave for home instead. I could never refuse her anything. We left within the hour.

The headlights from the occasional car we encountered lit her beautiful golden brown hair. I smiled and kissed her hair softly. She ran her hand up my arm to my shoulder and sighed contentedly.

Then she laughed quietly.

"What is it?" I inquired curiously.

"I was just thinking about that obnoxious doctor from Fort Lauderdale. I can't believe you told him we had five kids and one more on the way."

I laughed too. "Well, its true, isn't it?"

"Yes, but he kept staring at me. I think he was trying to see how 'far along' I was."

"I think he was staring at you because you're beautiful," I told her truthfully.

She looked up at me and smiled. She took my breath away.

"I love you," she told me quietly.

"And I you," I answered her, kissing her lips.

She sighed contentedly and laid her head back down on my shoulder. "I can't wait to get home. I miss the kids."

I stepped a bit harder on the gas pedal. I missed them too.

* * *

I pulled into the yard and parked behind Bella's truck. We could hear screams and laughter coming from the house.

"Sounds like we're missing a lot of fun," Esme grinned at me.

"Let's go see," I smiled back at her.

We got out of the car. Just then, the wind blew over Bella's truck to us. Dear God! The stench!

Esme and I gaped at each other. What on earth?

I walked hesitantly to the truck and looked into the flatbed. Other than the mats lining the bottom, it was empty.

"It smells like they shaved a werewolf in there," Esme grimaced and held her nose, pulling back from the truck.

I could only shake my head. Maybe Edward was right after all . . . maybe those werewolves _were _unhealthy for Bella – if smell were any judge.

Doing our best to avoid the smell, I escorted Esme to the front door.

We stepped onto the porch and I noticed that the couch Esme had recently purchased sat outside. The unmistakable scent of werewolf drifted off of it, as well. What were werewolves doing in our home? I could not imagine that they had dropped by for a friendly visit. I looked down at Esme, hoping she would have some idea as to what was going on, but she looked as confused as I felt.

Shaking my head, I opened the front door for her and placed my hand on the small of her back as I followed her into the house.

The scene that greeted us was like a scene from Bedlam. Emmett sat on top of Edward, pinning him to the floor. Edward seemed almost incapacitated by the laughter that shook his body. Alice stood yelling something at Emmett. Jasper was laughing hysterically and Rosalie seemed to have lost her temper and was yelling at everyone, in turns. Bella was just coming down the stairs, apparently having fallen behind everyone else. It was then that I noticed the stairway banister lay in pieces across the front hall floor. And the smell of werewolf hung in the air in a thick miasma. It seemed to be coming from everywhere.

_This_ was impossible. There was simply no way we had come home to _this._

I took a deep breath in an attempt to control myself, but it was tainted with _werewolf._ I have often prided myself on my tolerance, but_ this? _This was crossing a line.

I abandoned trying to control my temper. "All right! Everybody, front and center! Now!" I bellowed into the mayhem.

Silence dropped like a stone. Everyone froze.

"Now!" I snarled.

They moved so fast, it looked like they materialized even to me. Bella fell in line last, between Edward and Jasper.

I did a double take. She was soaking wet, water dripping from her hair and clothes onto the floor. "What . . .?" I started to ask. Nevermind, I didn't want to know right now.

I put my hand to my forehead and massaged my temples. _Breathe. Breathe_, I coaxed myself and tried to fight off the headache that had suddenly started. Funny. In the 250 years before I had children, I didn't have headaches – not one. In fact, I had thought it was impossible for vampires to get headaches. But that was before children. Children had changed my perceptions on many things.

I opened my eyes again to survey the damage. In the name of all things holy, why couldn't they just throw a party like normal teenagers?!

"I want to know who's the mastermind of this . . . this fiasco." My angry gaze swept between Alice and Edward, barely noticing Bella stepping behind Edward's shoulder.

This situation had all the earmarks of Alice and Edward's handiwork. I needed to know who was responsible. On second thought, did it even matter which one of them thought it up first? They were like real twins, these two. Where one led, the other followed. The mind-reader and the psychic. I wondered briefly if even _they_ would know which one of them thought of it first.

"Whose idea was this?" I persisted nevertheless.

Suddenly half of my children were confessing at the same time. Alice, Jasper and Edward were all claiming to be responsible. This was a first. Usually I had to guilt them into a confession at all. My suspicions hit new heights as I wondered at the change. What else didn't I know yet? How could this possibly be worse than it already seemed? If they were admitting to this, what had happened that I didn't know about yet?

This group confession had never happened before and if there was anything that made a parent suspicious it was new behavior in their kids.

"Enough," I barked.

In the sudden silence, I could hear Bella's heart crashing in her chest. Jasper leaned away from her uncomfortably.

Edward swept his hand over Bella's hip and pushed her so he stood between her and me. I was shocked. He couldn't think I would hurt her, could he?

He shook his head and frowned. His answer was too quick and low for Bella to hear. "She's more afraid of your disapproval than anything, Carlisle. She's terrified."

I took a steadying breath. It wasn't like me to lose it. It was natural for humans to be afraid of vampires. An angry vampire must be absolutely terrifying to a human, even if she was normally exceptionally courageous.

"Bella? Bella, please. No one's going to hurt you." Her heart was pounding so hard I wondered if she could hear me. She was close to hyperventilating.

I looked meaningfully at Jasper. A calm swept the room. Good. I could use that calm myself.

Feeling steadier, I asked again, "Who's responsible for this?" The iron was still in my tone. If they lied to me, I would find out. And then all punishments would be worse.

Four of my children spoke at once again, the same mass confession that had already made me nervous tonight.

Bella's answer was so quiet I could barely hear her, "Me."

Reluctantly yet somehow proudly, Alice, Jasper and Edward all said "Bella".

What! There was no way they were going to blame Bella for this! I wondered how they had managed to get her to confess. Probably Jasper's influence…. I huffed in annoyance and started to ask again, but I met Edward's eyes. They danced with amusement and he arched an eyebrow at me.

_No! Really? This was Bella? _I asked him

Edward chuckled and nodded slightly.

I noticed Emmett staring alternatively at me and Edward, disbelief etched on his face.

"What exactly happened here?" I asked cautiously.

Edward quickly laid it out for Esme and me, taking pride in Bella's escapades. When he finished, I found my jaw was hanging open. I looked over at Esme and found the same look of dumbfounded surprise on her face as I could feel on my own.

I collected myself and shifted my gaze to Bella. As I looked at her, her heart started to pound again.

Edward put his arm around her shoulders and turned her face to look at him. "Relax, Bella. Breathe. When Carlisle gets angry, he never really loses his temper. He'll simply let us know that he is disappointed in our childish behavior. Then he'll make us take responsibility for it and fix it. We'll promise never to do anything like it again and it's over."

I ground my teeth in aggravation – it sounded so impotent when he put it like that. On the other hand, Bella was breathing again and she no longer looked like she was going to faint.

Edward continued, "Now Rosalie's temper is something entirely different. If she ever unleashes her fury, my best advice is to run for it." He grinned playfully, in an obvious attempt to lighten Bella's mood.

"Watch it, Edward. I still haven't decided if I'm mad at you!" Rosalie shot back, the twinkle in her eyes destroying her attempt at severity. "You might want to put on _your _running shoes!"

All the kids laughed, which didn't help my mood at all.

Picking up on my thoughts, Edward turned to Esme. "I'm sorry, Esme. I meant no disrespect to you or to your house by my actions. I'll replace the bathroom door immediately and I'll put Rosalie and Emmett's room to rights."

Alice chimed in, "Sorry. I'll get the steam cleaner, clean the couch and start laundry."

Jasper said, "I'll fix the banister and bleach the floors."

We all turned to look at Bella.

Taking her cue, she said, "I'll remove the booby-traps in the bathroom and bleach the shower stall."

I frowned, "Booby-traps?

She looked abashed as she explained. "I unscrewed the showerhead and put a wolf-wipe inside before screwing it back on, to make the water smell, so Emmett would think the smell was coming off of him."

Edward and Alice both dissolved into laughter. Jasper stared at Bella with unmistakable awe.

"And I put wolf-wipes in the shampoo bottles," she added sheepishly.

Edward lost it entirely, laughing so hard he barely managed to stay on his feet.

Emmett was staring at Bella as if he had never seen her before – as if she were a new and dangerous animal. Ironically, I felt myself looking at her the same way. It seems I wasn't the only one to have underestimated Bella. Even Rosalie was looking at Bella with an appraising eye.

I turned to Emmett, "And as for you . . ."

"Me? I'm innocent in this. I'm the victim!" he sputtered.

"You, Emmett, are the one who started all this to begin with. You are the one who has been pouncing on Bella whenever the opportunity presented itself, and threatening to do so when you couldn't actually manage to pounce on her. You drove her to this attempt to get back at you. None of this would have happened if you hadn't started it. Now you, my son, will make amends to Bella by cleaning her truck. All of it. Inside and out."

He seemed about to say something, but turned instead to look at Bella.

Edward laughed again. He answered Emmett's unspoken comment. "That's right, Emmett. A 110 pound human girl just managed to beat you at your own game. Think about _that_! You will try not to underestimate Bella again, won't you?"

Alice and Jasper joined Edward in laughing at Emmett, while Bella blushed furiously. But I also noticed she looked rather pleased with herself.

"Edward!" I snapped at him. _For God's sake, don't make this into a challenge. You know what Emmett's like!_

"Too late," he muttered.

Emmett was staring at Bella with a profound respect in his eyes. And then he grinned. I didn't need Edward's talent to know what he was thinking. I groaned internally. Emmett couldn't resist a challenge. He never could. This wasn't the end.

I dropped my head back into my hand. My children are going to be the death of me. I sent a desperate prayer up, _Please, Lord, give Esme and me some time before Emmett tries to even the score. Just a little quiet time before the re-match_. Somehow I suspected this was one prayer that would go unanswered.

Emmett reached out and ruffled Bella's wet hair. "Well done, little sister. Very well played." He grinned.

It was time to regain control of this situation. I glared at them all. "Esme and I are going for a drive. You _will_ have everything done and back to normal by the time we get back in 15 minutes."

Bella squeaked.

Everyone worked hard to hide their smiles.

". . . by the time we get back in one hour," I amended.

Bella breathed a sigh of relief.

I looked sternly at them all. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

They scattered.

As Edward and Alice headed for the basement, I heard him ask her, "How did you miss them coming home early?"

"Too focused on Emmett and the short-term," she offered as a defense.

Edward sighed and followed her downstairs.

I turned back to Esme. "Let's go for a drive, shall we? Maybe when we get back, we can convince ourselves this never happened."

* * *

I drove until I was sure Esme and I were no longer in range of the talents of our telepathic and empathetic sons. Then I pulled the car to the side of the road and stopped. I looked towards my wife. Our eyes locked and held for a long moment.

Then we both lost all control as we collapsed in helpless laughter. I fell forward onto the steering wheel while she clutched my shoulder, her whole body shaking.

"Merciful Heavens!!" she gasped. "She got him to pour tomato juice onto his own head and to thank her for it!"

The laughter consumed us and it was a few minutes before either of us could speak.

Finally pulling myself together a bit, I remarked, "You know the house will smell of bleach for days."

"Umm hmm. So it will," she agreed. She didn't sound distressed in the least.

"You sound almost happy about that."

"Do I?" she asked archly, a smile on her face that could have been considered positively sinful.

I knew precisely why she felt as she did. Edward, the first of our sons, had finally found someone to share his life with. That she was able to fit into our family so well, even to the point of being able to prank Emmett, was a marvel.

"I suppose I am," she admitted.

Then her shoulders started to shake again with repressed laughter. "But, Carlisle, if this is what life is like when she's human, can you imagine what's in store for us once she's changed? God help us. God help Emmett!" Esme exclaimed.

I choked, barely catching myself before the laughter started again. I cleared my throat and looked out the windshield, making sure not to make eye contact with Esme or I would certainly lose the battle against the laughter. She was doing the same, though the occasional laugh would escape her as she tried to regain control over her breathing.

It wouldn't do for the children to know we found them funny. They would go completely wild, if they thought there was no discipline.

With our parental faces finally back in place, I put the car back in Drive and pulled onto the road.

I certainly hoped Alice hadn't seen that.


	9. Chapter 9 Square One

**Pay Back **

_Many thanks to Stephenie Meyer for letting me play with her toys for a little while. I, of course, own nothing. They are all hers. _

* * *

**Chapter 9 – Square One**

**Emmett's POV**

It had been a week since Bella's Prank, as we would now forever call it. The house was back to normal. Even the smell of bleach and cleaners had dissipated.

Life had returned to its normal routine. I sighed. Life had returned to its normal _boring _routine.

As much trouble as we had all been in, it had so been worth it. I hadn't had that much fun in decades.

I sighed again, beyond bored, and clicked off the TV.

The sound of Bella's truck arriving in the front yard drew my attention.

Hmmm. Was it worth it . . . ? Definitely. I quickly moved to stand beside the front entrance, where the front door would hide me when opened.

I grinned as I prepared to pounce. This was going to be excellent! I bet _this _would make things interesting again. My grin grew wider.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This is the last chapter – a small one to wrap things up. Of course, this started out as a 300 word one-shot. So if my Muse decides there's more story to tell, I'll be sure to share it with you too. :o)

Thanks to my amazing beta, KlutzLikeBella, who so patiently and insightfully improved, not only this chapter, but my other chapters as well. You're amazing, KLB! Check out her work, if you haven't already – it's terrific!

Thank you for reading and for the many reviews and alerts. You all make me feel so great. Thanks!

I hope you enjoyed it. I certainly had fun writing it!


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